Linking Learners l BUSINESS TO BUSINESS LEARNING
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Briefs | |
| 35. Private-Public Partnerships: Key Areas for Intervention. |
We present key areas for intervention using Private Public Partnerships (PPPs) for pro-poor business development. Interventions focus where we think public donors can stimulate the provision of commercial services to improve small farmers’ access to markets. Key areas for intervention are: 1) Short-term trade credit to facilitate small farmer payment is made available eg. large-scale trials providing credit to transaction secure deals so that farmers can be paid ‘cash-on-the-bag’; 2) Rural entrepreneur networks expanded to reach commercially viable scales eg. enabling local mentors stimulate peer-to-peer learning on the ground and online; 3) User-led programming developed for SMS-Internet applications that will benefit rural areas eg. new applications focusing on market intelligence, tracking transactions, and peer-to-peer exchange; and 4) Pre-commercial R&D to be conducted on new ventures for rural entrepreneur networks eg., investment that take these ventures to the point where banks and commercial investors can pick them up. |
| 34. Developing New Services Needs an Effective Knowledge Management System. |
The Linking Local Learners (LLL) online platform www.linkinglearners.net has emerged as an indispensable tool for sustaining the critically important business-to-business learning between rural entrepreneurs developing new market access services through their local networks. The LLL platform has provided network members with a tool to generate and manage knowledge about their developing business operations. Network members generate knowledge through peer-to-peer exchanges assisted by mentors. Mentoring peer exchange is a critical support service provided by national service providers and RAVI. Mentors encourage peer exchanges between network members through workshops, visits to their businesses and facilitating online learning exchanges. Knowledge generation focuses on inventing and enhancing business operations and business opportunities. The knowledge generated through peer exchanges is captured in the form of operational procedures, stories of experiences, and briefs on lessons learned. These documents are then made available for use to network members on the LLL platform. |
| 33. Market Access Services: Steps Towards Commercialization. | Improving small farmers’ access to markets attracts much public interest these days. Sadly, projects are limited in scale and duration. They only benefit farmers inside the project area and the benefits stop when the project ends. In response, renewed efforts to improve small farmer access to markets include ‘commercialization’ of these services. Over the last five years we have been attempting to commercialize market access services in Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania with support from IFAD . We have identified five important steps towards commercialization of these services: The first step is establishing commercial relationships between business operators and their clients. Demonstrating the commercial viability of the business opportunity is the second step. Inventing how to operate a market intelligence service commercially is the third step. Transaction security services that handle everything for the secure movement of product from the farm to the factory as well as the movement of money back to the farmer is the fourth step. The fifth step is to overcome the distrust barriers with trade credit so farmers are paid 'cash-on-the-bag'. |
| 32. Facilitating Market Access: Potential Pitfalls for Public Programmes. | Over the last five years in Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania we have been implementing a number of IFAD supported efforts in the commercialisation of market access services for small farmers. A key operational feature of these efforts was Linking Local Learners (LLL) peer-to-peer learning Internet platform. As with most ‘hard’ learning the experiences we share here emerged from failures and mistakes. Despite the failure, or maybe because of it, these experiences provided us with valuable insights into how we might better facilitate market access for small farmers. Here we share five pitfalls we experienced that public investment programme designers and managers should be aware of. We also make some suggestions as to how they might deal with them in on-going or future programme designs. |
| 31 Pro-Poor Business Development |
RAVI's experiences suggest that developing pro-poor businesses requires a defined set of activities and milestones of achievement. Public investments have taken us from service idea up to commercial proof of concept. Getting from a viable commercial concept to a successful investment offer is the ‘investment gap’ that needs to be filled. We believe this to be the reason why publically funded project fail to produce commercially sustained services. Three ideas on how to bridge this gap are provided. |
| 30 Market transaction security services |
This briefing note answers some frequently-asked questions about market transaction security services. We start by explaining what transaction security is all about and why it is a business opportunity. We close with a few words on the challenges to setting up such businesses and why modern ICTsí make the provision of transaction security services in rural areas possible now. |
| 29 The Need for Market Reform Now. |
Marketing must be reformed and governments must step up to the challenges. The challenge is joint investment by public and private sectors. The challenge is public policy and private self regulation. Building market services that offer fair trade to all, are trusted, durable, reliable and that can operate at scale in a business where margins must necessarily be low is going to take a lot of money and a lot of time. Investing in a large scale operation thatís trading fairly with small farmers, is reliable and can endure the inevitable droughts is not for those who seek a fast return. |
| 28 New Food Shortages, Old Development Insights and the Need for Transaction Security |
Partnerships between the public and private sectors for a national common venture in transaction security are needed fast, otherwise today’s food shortage will be tomorrows crisis. AMSDP has shown a way forward but it is ending next year. There will be no bumper harvests in Tanzania unless a correctly constructed and resourced private public partnership is developed for transaction security in agricultural marketing. |
| 27 B2B Collaboration for Sustaining Small Farmer Market Access |
All players in the market chain want secure transactions for their produce and their payments. The business to business model presented is a search for ‘win-win’ solutions between many inter-dependent small businesses. |
| 26 Milestones in the Emergence of a Market Access Company |
Public funds are more likely to be effective when a clear set of milestones for commercial services are followed. |
| 25 Market access services go commercial |
To ensure continued flow of benefits to farmers from better access to markets, local market access services need to be commercially operated. |
| 24 Learning agenda for technical support to MACs |
Small, isolated, rural Market Access Companies need support from many different service providers at the national level to establish and run profitable businesses. |
| 23 Learning agenda on operating Market Access Companies |
RAVI groups will now be exploring how to set up Market Access Companies in around forty districts in Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania. The learning agenda includes how to: use Market Information Boards; broker deals and develop income streams. |
| 22 Online mentoring RAVI style |
After face–to–face exchanges mentors keep the learning agenda moving by prompting for ideas and experiences, refocusing the discussions and debates. |
| 21 Operational Strategy for improving market links |
Over the next two years the local learners in Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania will test their operational strategy for improving small farmer links to markets. |
| 20 Progressive policies for sustainable market development |
Support for: bottom up farmer rganizations; reliable connectivity; learning opportunities for marketing skills; commercial Rural Service Companies and National Company to support local market service companies. |
| 19 Lessons and challenges in rural knowledge management |
Rural knowledge management pays off, nearly two million dollars was the reported increase in turn over from seven districts in Tanzania in one season. |
| 18 Key factors for successful marketing |
Institutions to develop, behaviour changes to promote and development to support. |
| 17 How impact was achieved |
The roles of the district core groups and what they did. |
| 16 Impact on the ground from market access |
Increases in volume of crops marketed. |
| 15 Local expressions on impacts of learning |
Interviews with participants of the First Mile project on marketing changes |
| 14 Learning topics on improving marketing |
Learning challenges of farmer associations and service providers. |
| 13 Ideas on commercialization of services |
A new paradigm for sustaining agricultural services. |
| 12 Status and Achievements of RAVI |
Who are the learners, what practices are they improving and what are the achievements so far? |
| 11 Longer term sustainability of RAVI |
Recommitment to another year of learning through RAVI. |
| 10 User Assessment of RAVI |
Farmers assisted to improve their discussion of demand. |
| 9 Insights on Effective Use of Public Funds |
Learning not only builds capacity it also results in better ways of working in the field. |
| 8 Fostering Demand Driven Services |
Local practice in this programme is built on long years of experience of farmers and service providers in service delivery. |
| 7 Insights on employment and empowerment |
Evidence of empowerment is clear. |
| 6 Achievements of Users |
The assessment of experience with RAVI. |
| 5 The learning topics |
12 learning topics were identified. |
| 4 Internet Communication Practice |
How communicating between local groups stimulates innovation. |
| 3 The local learners |
The history of the local groups. |
| 2 Organisation of learning |
How learners rganized themselves first at the local level. |
| 1 Getting started |
The Linked Local Learning programme on Demand Driven Services is started. |